NEARLY A DISASTER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 January 1929, Page 5

NEARLY A DISASTER.

IN SYDNEY HARBOUR. LINER, WARSHIP, AND FERRIES. SYDNEY, Dee. 27. While Sydney was busily engaged on Monday morning in the last-minute Christmas shopping rush, a terry disaster was averted in the harbour by only the narrowest of margins. The new Manly ferry, the Curl Curl, which had to go full speed astern, four vehicular ferries, the American liner Sonoma, and the new Royal Australian Navy aeroplane carrier Albatross were concerned

Hundreds of ferry passengers, valuable motor-cars, and ship property which were involved in the neardisaster only escaped damage after several worried skippers and an experienced pilot had wondered where the first hit was coming irom. According to a report made to the Department of Navigation, Pilot Clias. Hill and Captain Bell were on the bridge of the liner Sonoma, which was proceeding at a snail’s pace towards Circular Quay. The naval aeroplane carrier in the offing suddenly stopped at sight of a vehicular ferry almost under the bows of the tSonoma. Due to the prompt action of the pilot and engineers of the Sonoma, tlie ferry was saved by only a few feet irom being cut in halves. At the time of the stoppage of the Sonoma, and the naval aeroplane carrier Albatross, several other ferries, including the Manly steamer Curl Curl, which was leaving Circular Quay at a high rate of speed, became mixed up as the result of the sudden stoppage. Most of the ferries had a considerable amount of pare when they stopped and it was only by skilful manoeuvring that a disaster wa.s averted. As it was, several of the ships scraped against the others. Many spectators on the shore saw what seemed to be an impending jerry disaster, and several of the amhulance stations ret-eited calls front frantic citizens, who had not waited to see the actual smash which they thought was bound to occur, but dashed away to bring the ambulance to the scene. Three waggons were sent racing to the quay, while calls for more assistance were sent out to half a dozen other stations.

To the surprise of the ambulance men when they arrived at the qua)’ they did not find any tangled masses of wreckage, as they were led to believe they would, but only saw one or two ferries just gathering speed again, and a liner moving slowly into her moorings.